Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	sickness_n	young_a	youth_n	66	3	7.8774	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86101	A sermon preached at Hievvorth at the funerall of Edmund Warneford Esq. By Thomas Hauskins minister of Gods word. On the 24. of August. 1649.	Hauskins, Thomas.	1651 (1651)	Wing H1152; Thomason E1286_3; ESTC R15019	15,521	43

are to make of the foresaid doctrine the Apostle doth in the following words both expresly and amply and singularly direct us saying Let them that have wives be as if they had none and they that weep c. Yet afore I urge or prosecute any of these particulars give me leave to premise and inferre one generall use and the rather because that generall exhortation will have a speciall influence into and will prove as a speciall preparative disposing us the better for the following particuiar instructions Be you then from the consideration of the foresaid doctrine in generall wise exhorted To lay to heart the shortnesse of your time This is a very speciall and a very profitable duty Ecc. 7.2 There we see that it is the duty of the living to lay to heart their end this laying to heart our end is elsewhere called the consideration of our latter end Deut. 32.29 and in that regard I shall both exhort you pray for you saying in the Apostles words 2 Tim. 2.8 consider what the Apostle hath said in the text concerning the shortnesse of our time and the Lord give you understanding both in this and in all things We have need of prayer as well as of exhortation for the Lord knowes that we do see and heare and read frequently of many things which we doe very little if at all consider and lay to heart and least of all the particular in hand insomuch as I may truly say that of any thing in the world that is so well known so frequently and apparently scene there is nothing that is so little considered and laid to heart Paul saies in the text This say brethren the time is short I may well adde we our selves do see and see and see and see often in such fad instances and spectacles of mortality as is now before us That our time is short but who laies to heart and considers it who can say in this case as the Church did in another Lam. 3.51 Mine eye affecth my heart Let us a little take view of all sorts and conditions of people I will passe over childhood because at that age we are lesse capable of consideration and come to youth Doe young men and women consider and lay to heart the shortnesse of their time Alas they are so farre from laying to heart any alteration by death that they lay not to heart any the least alteration by age or sicknesse for young people make not any accompt that their fine face their youthfull strength beauty activity shall ever decay or be impaired Having passed through youth I come to middle age and doe aske the Question Whether doe people in the midst of their daies in the height of their strenght lay to heart the shortnes of their time As Sampson sayd Give me a champion that I may fight with him so I say shew me an instance and example in any one man or woman who considers this thing that I may commend them Yea to come to old age doe people when they are wll stricken in yeares or when they begin to be sickly and doe find infirmities to be growing upon them doe they lay to hears the shortnesse of their time Alas the very Heathen did observe this corruption and deceit in the heart of man to wit that there is scarce any one so old but he thinks to live one yeare longer and still one yeare longer and yet one years longger for people when they begin to be sick and as we our selves may observe how it is given to people to thinke and say of their sicknesses as Christ did concerning that of Lazarus This sicknesse is not unto death yea it were to be wished that carnall friends in their foolish pity coming to visit their sicke friends would not like the false Prophets of old crying peace peace sow the pillowes of security under their freinds arme-holes and rocke them in the cradle of forgetfullnesse both of God and of themselves assuring their friends that their present sicknesse shall not shorten and much lesse end their time of such friends we may well say as Iob did of his Miserable Counsellers and miserable Comfortors are yee all And because it is not sufficient to accuse unlesse the charge be made evident I will now make it appeare by sundry evidences that very few doe lay to heart the shortnesse of their time First I shall bring in the common wickednesse and profanesse of the world to testify it and I shall say with allusion to those words of Samuel to Saul 1 Sam. 15.14 If the most of people doe indeed consider and lay to hart the shortnesse of their time what meanes that common cry of all forts of sinnes of drunkennesse swearing cursing uncleanesse which we doe daily see with our eyes and heare with our eares especially if we goe abroad to a market fayre or the like But for more particular evidence I say first as the Prophet speakes in another case Hos 7.10 so I say here The pride of people doth testifie to their faces that they doe not lay to heart how short their time is for did people consider seriously and sadly the shortnesse of their time would they be so haughty so hofty so scornefull and disdainfull of their inferiours as if we all were not one flesh and of the same blood as they be Would the women kind be of such a proud demeanour as is described and reproved in the haughty Daughters of Sion walking with stretched out necks wanton eyes mincing as they goe and making a tinckling with their feete Esa 3.16 Surely beloved the minding of the shortnesse of our time would bring downe the stout hearts and lofty lookes of people and would cause us all to walke more humbly both with our Creator and with our fellow-creatures Secondly Mens covetousnesse doth testify to their faces that they lay not to heart the shortnesse of their time we see that with very many there is no end of wordly care toile and travell they being never satisfied in their minds with what they have but are still restlesse in adding house to house field to field farme to farme bargaine to bargaine Did people seriously consider that they have not long to live there would be more contentment and lesse convetuosnesse then is every where among all sorts to be seene Thirdly That few doe consider the shortnesse of their time doth appeare by this to wit That though people doe sometimes think upon death yet they think onely of one way of dying or upon one kind of death to wit they think only of dying a naturall death they think of dying by age or in their beds where as we may as well dy an untimely or a violent death as a naturall death we may be cut off in the midst of our daies and strengthy by a thousand disasters we may die in a prison we may have our throats cut or our braines dasht out we may die in a ditch as well as in

our beds Fourthy It appears that the most people are mindlesse of the shortnesse of their time in that they consider not in whose hands their time is For whereas Scripture tels us that our time is in Gods hands and that our life doth wholy depend upon his pleasure and appointment they are as forgetfull of any such thing as appeares by their common language as those wordlings whom Saint Iames reproveth for projecting this and that and yet never asking leave of God Iam. 4.13 14. Fiftly It appeares in that people doe so busy themselves about trifles with neglect of the maine things necessary How doe the most people first provide for the body for the things of the world and put off the providing for the soule and things belonging to another world I will instance onely in two things of moment which people do put off First the making of their wils We see in experience how that people doe commonly put off the doing of this to the time of their sicknesse albeit it is most uncertaine whether they shall have any warning of death by sicknesse yea many will not doe it when they are sicke unlesse they are perswaded that they shall die of their ficknesse and how few will perswade themselves or will suffer themselves to be perswaded by others that when they are sick they are sicke to death Secondly But this is a light matter in comparison in allusion to those words of the Prophet to the king Esa 7.13 I say here that it is a light matter for men to neglect the making of their wills and thereby to prejudice their posterity there are matters of farre greater moment which are commonly neglected and those are The repenting of our sins the amendment of our waies the setting of accompts betwixt God and our soules the making of our peace with God our Judge the making of our calling and election sure and alas alas how are these neglected Let two things be here observed I How lasie and slow and sluggish the most of people are as to these things they are as loath to come to any businesse of this nature as ever any sluggard was to rise out of his bed insomuch as when they are awaked by the loud cries of Gods Ministers calling to and upon them in those words of Solemon Prov. 6.19 How long wilt thou sleepe O sluggard when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep They do yawn and stretch them selves upon the bed of security and sensuallity saying with that Sluggard Prov. 5.10 Yet a little sleepe a little slumber alittle folding of the hands to sleepe a little more of the pleasures of sin a little more of the profits of sin c. Secondly let it be observed how faithlesse and false hearted people are in things of this nature for albeit they will purpose and set a time for the doing of these things yet when the time comes yet faithlesse perverse generation as they are they will put it of till another time Wee see in experience that Laban did not more often change lacobs wages then many men and women have contrary to their purposes promises vowes and covenants changed the time of their repentance and conversion they have set a time ten times over that time being past and gone they are still to repent and convert yea they are as farre if not farther from repenting and converting as ever they were afore Briefly and undeniably The whole course of peoples lives doth testifie to their faces that the shortnesse of their time is not laid to heart by them for consider whether the most people doe not live even as the drunkard drinks or as the prodigall spends as those doe drinke and spend as if they could never see the bottome of the barrell or of their patrimony so people doe so live as if they were to live for ever in this world as if they should never come to the end of their lives Having now ended my generall exhortation I might in the next place inferre sundry particular ones For example First If our time be short then let us all looke back and consider how we have spent and mis-spent our time what time we have lost Secondly Learne the miserie and mischiefe of delayes of delaying things of moment Thirdly Beware of a surprizall of being caught napping as we use to say of being taken at unawares Fourthly Labour lesse for the meat that perisheth and labour more for that which endureth to everlasting life Fifthly Learne this point of wisdome to wit to dispatch the most necessarie things in the first place These and the like instructions might fitly be deduced from the doctrine in hand and are very profitabe to be urged but because I desire to speake somewhat to some of the uses which the Apostle doth expressly inferre from the point I must therefore of necessitie forbeare the prosecution of any of the said particulars The first use which the Apostle doth make of this doctrine is to married persons I say to married persons for what he saies to Hushands saying let them that have wives be as if they had none must be understood as spoken likewise to wives for as they who have wives must live as if they had none so for a like reason those who have husbands must live as if they had none The Apostles true and full meaning is That the shortnesse of the time considered those who are married should so live as if they were loosed or unmarried But some will here perhaps demaund this question what must married persons do or how must they so live married as if they were unmarried I answere that divers particular duties are therein comprized among which I shall instance onely in three or foure First it implies that man and wife ought so to live together as making a certaine accompt that within a verie short time they must part or be parted asunder saying that de futuro for future concerning each other as Christ said De praesenti to the Samaritan woman concerning her reputed husband He whom I now have shall not alwaies be my Husband She whom I now have shall not alwaies be my wife The contrary presumption or forgetfulnesse is I am afraid the common fault of married persons for consider whether it be not with the most couples as you shall immediatly hear from me every one doth eagerly desire a good wife or husband being halfe impatient for such a blessing as was Rachel for the blessing of Children saying A good husband a good wife or else I am undone and when God hath granted unto men women these their desires what doe they think or say and how are they affected They are affected as Jonah was when he had got a gourd they are glad out of measure saying as Laodicea in another case I am rich and increased in comfort and I have need of nothing yea saying moreover as Babylon in her prosperitie Esa 47.8 I am made and I am made for